INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL

"Obama admits, 'I screwed up.'" (Feb. 4th)

WATCHDOG: The President took too long to wake up to what the New Era, NewsLanc and much of the media were saying for the past couple of weeks: We should not elevate to high office those who purposefully or through a 'blind eye' fail to pay their share of taxes.

The loss of Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services is a tragedy, because he uniquely had the specific knowledge concerning health care reform and the respect of legislators to bring about a restructuring of the failed health care system.

But it would be even a worse tragedy to send a message to tax payers throughout the country that only fools bear their proper share of the tax burden.

That you must 'pay to play' may be the most important civics lesson we can send the younger generations.